Episode #11
When Your Money Isn’t Yours Anymore: Grieving Financial Independence
There is a particular kind of grief that comes with remembering what it felt like to have your own money. Not money you had to ask for. Not money someone else earned. Not money that technically belongs to the household but still requires another person’s involvement before you can freely use it. Money coming into an account with your name on it. I know what it feels like to be financially capable. I have saved money. I have paid my own bills. I have bought and paid off a car. I have made decisions with my own money and trusted myself to handle the consequences. And now, in a very different season of life, I find myself grieving that independence—and, sometimes, resenting the people I depend on. In this episode, I’m talking about the uncomfortable parts of financial dependence: the loss of autonomy, the shame, the anger, the comparison, the “I could do this better than you” thoughts, and the complicated reality of wanting control over money while not currently controlling the money coming into your life. This isn’t a hustle-culture pep talk. It’s an honest conversation about money, identity, resentment, motherhood, economic independence, and what it means to rebuild your relationship with your own financial power.
